made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, union bank, and siemens. >> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> somewhere in america, there's a doctor who can peer into the future. there's a nurse who can access in an instant every patient's past. and because the whole hospital is working together, there's a family who can breathe easy right now.

somewhere in america we've already answered some of the nation's toughest health-care questions. and the over 60,000 people of siemens are ready to do it again. siemens. answers. >> and now, "bbc world news." >> the american push for a middle east peace deal at a critical point. today, hillary clinton is in the west bank. the u.s. secretary of state holds stock with palestinian leader abbas. the settlement issue poses a massive challenge. >> welcome to gmt. also in the program, hopes

rise for a quicker rescue of the chilean miners. hundreds of thousands joined the party in mexico to celebrate to lanier's of independence. it is midday in london and in washington, they're just waking up to the news that the obama administration is ramping up its efforts to inject momentum into middle east peace negotiations. today, hillary clinton has been in the west bank for talks with the president of the palestinian authority, president abbas. that follows talks between a bas and netanyahu yesterday. >> pressing on with the american peace mission, hillary clinton met the palestinian president. >> the united states and all of us led by president obama are

very committed and determined to work toward a peace agreement through direct negotiations that lead to an independent, sovereign, viable palestinian state that realizes the aspirations of the palestinian people. >> it was all smiles on wednesday as tt the israeli prie minister's residence. no details have emerged of the substance of their talks. expectations in the region are extremely low. overnight, a reminder of what is at stake. this is the aftermath of an israeli air strike and the gaza strip. the military says this was weapons facility. the israeli air force bombed

targets in the far south of gaza, killing one man. these shock people living just north of -- shot person to the north of gaza is not holding his breath. >> we're happy that the peace process is going forward. we must not forget that we're still targeted by rockets. >> they been talking about an independent palestinian state next to israel for years. we have seen nothing. >> all the time, there's a partial freeze on the construction of jewish settlements on occupied land. that freeze is due to end later this month. abbas has warned that he will walk away from further negotiations if the building resumes. rama am joined from ro

llash by john. >> clinton swept in a vast envoy of armored cars and met with abbas for about 20 minutes. she said very little in front of journalists. there's no news of what they were discussing. on the shore 20 minute journey from jerusalem, she would have derailed theue that the rea peace process before begun. that is, israeli settlements. there are hundreds of thousands of israeli settlements living on occupied palestinian land. the palestinian president is insisting that the freeze or

possible freeze on settlement expansion should be extended. the israelis say that will not happen. one would imagine there would be some sort of compromise. both sides, at the moment, are keeping their cards close to the chest. >> it is clear that abbas is under immense pressure from inside his own community. there are many people who say if he has to walk away, unless the israelis extend the freeze. what does abbas do next on this issue? >> it is difficult. as you said, he has really pledged his reputation, which is not that great amongst palestinians any way. many people see him as somewhat of a weak leader. he has insisted that this freeze be extended. it seems let people are talking about is that there will be some

sort of compromise. that might involve the israelis saying we will only continue building in the biggest settlements that might eventually be incorporated into israel, and not with any future palestinian state. that will be very difficult to sell to ordinary palestinian people. it's difficult to see how mahmoud abbas can do a deal which will not see him as stepping down, as compromising too much. that is certainly how many palestinians will see this. >> thank you very much for joining us on gmt. take a look at some of the other stories making headlines. pope benedict has begun a visit to britain. he flew into the scottish capital, where he was received by queen elizabeth at her

residence, the pulse of holyrood -- the palace of holywood. said the allegations of sexual abuse has caused him great sadness. he warned against aggressive forms of secularism. eu leaders are meeting in brussels today in a summit overshadowed by the fight between the french government and the european commission over the treatment of thousands of roma emigrants. nicolas sarkozy has ordered police to deport hundreds of roma from other eu member states. the twister and called this disgraceful. -- the commissioner called this disgraceful. rita, this was not supposed to be on the agenda, but it is clear that this is going to dominate the summit. >> yes, the main focus of the

summit is meant to be about opening up trade links with the east, namely with india and china. as you said, it has been overshadowed by the fight between the eu commissioner and the french government. when president nicolas sarkozy arrived this morning, all the questions by reporters were about the affair. he did not say anything. he's expected to talk about it later today. the heads of states have a working lunch and there is an assumption that it will be raised during that president. -- during that period. he is expected to respond. >> there you detect that the eu justice commissioner who drew parallels to the nazis in the second world war -- you believe

she has a lot of support inside the corridors of power inside the european union? >> she has stepped back a little bit from what she said. she has been reined in a little bit by the president of the commission, who has tried to po ur a little oil on these troubled waters by saying that he thinks she may have gone a little bit far. although, he does say france needs to look at what they're doing. there's a great deal of nervousness in the commission about having a full onside with france given the status of france within the eu. >> thank you very much for joining us. workers trying to reach 33 miners trapped underground in chile say they could get them out earlier than expected. initially, the government's said it could take until christmas. engineers say the work is going

well. they may be out in early november. >> this is the drill known as plan b. it has already gone through four hundred meters of solid rock. engineers say they expect to break through the tunnel close to the men some time this weekend. then it will be brought back up to the surface and it will start ticking again -- digging again n.w >> he said the team hopes to reach the men by early november. that is several weeks ahead of schedule. his crew are taking no chances. plan a is still drilling down to the men. a third drill is being assembled at the mine.

the engineers say by having all three drills working at one time, they will triple their chances at reaching the men. the progress on the drilling front is not the only reason for the upbeat mood. the relatives of the miners camp out behind have been welcoming a new addition to the community. this little girl was born on tuesday. she is the daughter of one of the trapped miners. her parents had planned to call her carolina, but changed their minds. her new name means hope in spanish. this is her proud grandfather. he says his son is delighted. >> [speaking for language] >> he is happy about her birth. the only thing he wants to do is get out, of his family, his two sons, and give them a kiss, and get out of there as soon as

possible. he could not becould no at his daughter's birth, these images were sent down to him 700 meters below ground. it will be several weeks yet before he can hold her in his arms. for now, the operation tong to . >> still to come on gmt, one in seven and rising. the new u.s. census reveals the growing ranks of america's fou poor. >> the president of nigeria, good luck jonathan, has confirmed that he intends to run in next year's election. he made the announcement in an unconventional way by posting a message on the social networking website facebook.

>> if it were not for barack obama, why not for the president of nigeria, too? they met earlier this year. this was shortly before he was sworn in as president of nigeria. >> i, goodluck jonathan, do solemnly swear -- >> he inherited the top job when the former president died. there has long been speculation that he would try to win another term by standing as a candidate in next year's presidential elections. on wednesday, he confirmed his ambition with a post on his facebook page. only a fraction of nigeria's 150 million people have access to the internet. few would have seen the message, but the word quickly spread. all this on the same day as when

a rival for the ruling party's nomination through his hat into the ring. -- threw his hat into the ring. [applause] >> is a former military leader and is seen by some as the man to beat. in his favor, the fact that he's a muslim from northern nigeria. the ruling party alternates power between northerners and southerners. mr. jonathan clearly wants to win the presidency. in this huge and divided country, he has a tough election battle ahead. >> this is gmt on "bbc world news." the headlines -- hillary clinton has held talks with the palestinian leader, mahmoud abbas, in the push for a middle east peace deal.

the settlement issue poses a massive challenge. the head of the roman catholic church, pope benedict xvi, has begun a four day visit to britain. we will stay with the pope and the united kingdom. we will bring you live pictures of pope benedict now. i assure you, the vehicle is on its way through the center of edinburgh, headed toward princes street. the pope has been received by clean elizabeth at the royal palace in edinburgh. he has met political leaders. he is now on his way to a lunch with the head of the catholic church in scotland cardinal are scott lind carnal o'brien. there are not huge crowds of

people lining the streets. where people have seen the pope, many have been applauding and waving. i think you can see, the pope is ving back. there has been some discussion about the degree of enthusiasm that this visit has generated. we will be following this as the visit unfolds over the coming hours and days. away from pope benedict, it is time for business news. >> thank you very much. do not blame us for america's economic problems. that's the blunt response from beijing as the obama administration brandishes his sharpest criticism yet of china's exchange rate policy. the u.s. treasury secretary timothy geithner will say that china's efforts at currency reform has been too slow and too limited when he addresses the senate later today.

also, two new complaints about chinese trade practices at the wto. our guest from "the wall street journal" is with us. america says china is not doing enough to raise the value of the yuan. is that correct, given that the currency has been rising? >> the currency has been rising at is that one of the highest levels against the dollar today leading into the testimony from treasury secretary geithner. most people say it does not reflect the economic strength of china. from a fundamental basis, very few would argue that the chinese currency is fairly valued right now. >> , of and appreciation is washington looking for? in reality, how much difference would it make for american businesses. >> pending on who you talk to, it would like to see a double digits increased.

you're looking at high unemployment persisting in the united states and a big trade deficits in the united states. most economists do not really think this currency issue will solve these problems. they're bigger issues at hand. we're headed into an election season in the united states. congressional elections are in november. this is a hot-button issue, especially for groups that tend to back democrats, especially unions. that is part of what the democratic party is trying to address in this testimony. >> thank you for joining us. we will leave it there. there could be another of four hundred four the obama awkwardtration -- of cou headline for the obama administration. census figures may show that as many as one in seven americans

qualified as poor in 2009. in poughkeepsie, new york, the policy rate is below the national average. >> she lost her job at a nursing home. with no paycheck coming in, she relies on food stamps to the her children. like more and more americans, she is learning to do without. >> have you ever found yourself in a situation where you have been short of things when you could not afford them? >> yes, basically every day. i call my mom. she lives in texas. i call my friends. they help me out. it was not for my friends, i would not have a lot of stuff. >> the symptoms of poverty are everywhere here. when the census bureau releases the latest national figures, it

is expected to show that the ranks of the poor are growing. >> we were just checking in with you to see how you're doing. >> the non profit group is in the business of helping the poor. they bring together churches to meet the basic needs of those in their community. the demand for their services has never been greater. >> how long have you worked with the poor? >> 30 years. >> how does this particular moment in time compared to what you've seen over the past 30 years? >> this is the worst i've seen. the resources do not come close to matching the need. we have to be more creative. we have to be more committed, especially the church. >> behind the trappings of wealth and success in this hudson river community and beyond, a growing number of americans are being left behind.

bbc news, poughkeepsie, new york. >> back to you. >> thank you very much. you in fact court in cambodia has indicted four senior leaders of khmer rouge for crimes against humanity and the war crimes. the four are likely to remain in custody until a trial next year. >> it has taken the investigating judges three years to get to this point. confirmation that they believe is enough evidence to put the four former khmer rouge leaders on trial for genocide. >> [speaking foreign-language] >> it has not always been easy with all the public notoriety about this. it has not been easy for me either. we have come to this today, which is obviously very satisfying. >> it was a ghost town under the

khmer rouge. the area is thriving now. it was evacuated, like many cambodian cities. many never returned. survivors have been waiting for three decades for justice. here's one of the people and hold it responsible. nuon chea was the right-hand man of the khmer rouge leader and a key figure in devising the organization's ideology. the former foreign minister was another member. as well as serving as social affairs minister, his wife -- and started developing the radical philosophy of the khmer rouge as students in paris. he was a latecomer to the party and he has always denied responsibility for khmer rouge atrocities. he served as head of state. the four stand accused of causing carnage on a barely

imaginable scale. d enemies were, as they put it, smashed. the trial is due to start next year. then perhaps cambodians will finally discover why their country had to suffer so much. >> now let me take you briefly back to edinburgh. pope benedict is moving to the city. he is now in the heart of edinburgh. he has met the queen already. he has seen the politicians. here is the pope mobile. was commenting on the smaller crowds earlier. now we have hundreds of people of turned out to see the pope. mexico is celebrating to leonard years since independence from spain. for mexicans, and that meant a

nationwide fiesta. our correspondent was there. >> it was an unforgettable party. looking at the huge crowds that gathered in the streets of mexico city to watch the parade that marked the country's 200th here of independence, it seems they were not disappointed. ♪ >> the lucky ones made it to the capital main square to be able to see the most important moment of the evening firsthand. >> viva mexico. >> after repeating the words announced 200 years ago, calderon way to the mexican

flag, and joined with thousands around the country in singing the national anthem. >> the excitement in the mexican capital stands in stark contrast to the way in which other cities in mexico have celebrated. >> 6000 have died here in drug- related violence since 2006. public celebrations were canceled out of safety concerns. there was no public outdoor event. the official ceremony will be held inside the town hall. others have taken similar measures. a reminder that for many mexicans, it will not be easy to join in on the party. >> finally, a quick taste of what is coming up later on "bbc world news."

using nasa and technology to better understand the world's forest. we will get a view from the treetops. from all of us at bbc, coulgood buy. >> funding was made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, and union bank. >> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you?

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